The Top 75 Open Source Security Apps
Without much fanfare, the open source security area is growing rapidly. Here are top contenders from anti-virus, firewalls, forensics, intrusion detection, and more.
Monday, April 28, 2008 12:04:01 PM EST

A New Spin on the Xfce Window Manager
Xfce isn't for everyone, but for servers or minimal desktop systems, it's just what the doctor ordered. Rather lightweight in Window Manager terms--weighing in at around 63MB--Xfce arrives with a full complement of applications from Abiword, gnumeric, and pidgin to CD/DVD burning software (Brasero), Thunar File Manager, and a host of administrative applications.
Sunday, April 13, 2008 07:58:16 PM EST

Power Management on Linux, Part 1
Power management on computers has three parts: selecting devices that are more power-efficient, tuning your systems to run more efficiently, and configuring systems to use less power during periods of inactivity. Servers, desktop machines, and laptops usually need different power management schemes; there isn't a one-size-fits-all.
Thursday, April 10, 2008 01:58:10 PM EST

The Bad Guys Will Cut Off Your Fingers
Linux has always supported Thinkpads pretty well, though the onboard modems and sound are chronic trouble spots. In this article, Carla Schroder focuses on her Lenovo T61's integrated fingerprint reader, to see what is involved in getting it to work on Linux.
Thursday, March 27, 2008 10:12:22 AM EST

Open Source Joomla Emerges as a Top CMS Tool
The Joomla website proclaims that, 'Joomla is one of the most powerful open source content management systems on the planet.' Sure, they're biased about their collaborative open source creation. But there's no arguing that Joomla is quickly becoming one of the top content management system platforms on the Internet.
Monday, March 24, 2008 03:04:10 PM EST

Losing My Religion: Firefox 3
"Forgive me, Linux Community, for I have sinned. It has been forever since my last confession and I am prepared for my penance. The truth is that I have never particularly cared for the Firefox browser--not because there is anything wrong with it but just because I already have a favorite browser. No, it isn't the one you think it is..."
Monday, March 10, 2008 10:19:15 AM EST

KDE 4: Wow Factor Fully Engaged
While it may not be fully ready for production systems yet, there is no denying that latest version of the K Desktop Environment is one sharp-looking interface. Reviewer Ken Hess takes a test-drive, and clearly likes what he sees.
Monday, February 25, 2008 10:27:30 AM EST

How the Linux Community Ranks Distributions
At first, ranking GNU/Linux distributions seems alien to the spirit of free software. After all, free software is all about choice. What should matter is that your distro suits you, not how others judge it. Yet, in practice, community members judge distributions all the time.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008 01:52:06 PM EST

Krazy Kubuntu Annoyances
"I'm running Kubuntu Gutsy Gibbon (7.10) on one of my main workstations. As with its sibling Ubuntu, it's an endlessly-entertaining blend of really nice stuff and really irritating stuff..."
Thursday, February 14, 2008 10:41:06 AM EST

Splunk 3.1: Log-Monitoring Revisited
Splunk has been gathering accolades for as long as it has been around. The latest version adds even more polish. Learn what's new, and how to work with some of the limitations the non-enterprise version introduces.
Monday, January 28, 2008 11:32:36 AM EST

Fie on Photoshop: Image Editing in Linux
It has been said that the most important missing killer app for Linux is a free Adobe Photoshop clone. In this series we'll correct that assertion, and then move on to bringing high-quality digital images to life in Linux itself, without having to use icky old Windows, or spending a pot of money.
Thursday, January 24, 2008 01:50:46 PM EST

Status Report: Chandler Desktop and Server
Earlier this month, the Open Source Applications Foundation (OSAF) announced a major staff reorganization, which included the departure of founder Mitch Kapor as head of the OSAF's flagship project, Chandler. After almost seven years of effort there is finally a release remotely resembling something a casual user might consider giving a try.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008 09:59:22 AM EST

Untangle Not a Tangle At All
One of the best uses for Linux is special-purpose, tightly managed distributions for a single purpose, and Untangle has created one of the most impressive applications of this principle. The Untangle Gateway bundles together a list of applications that even seasoned sysadmins couldn't install and effectively manage in a timely manner.
Monday, January 14, 2008 08:58:24 AM EST

Pyrolinux 1.0 Gives Off Little Heat
It's not every day you see the launch of a brand new Linux distribution, so when Dan Lynch heard that Pyrolinux 1.0 was released over Christmas, he gave it a look-see. But how hot is Pyrolinux? Lynch's review within.
Monday, January 7, 2008 10:34:11 AM EST

A Look at Pardus 2007.3 Lynx
"There were a few things that immediately stood out about Pardus for me, though: it has its own package management system called PISI (Packages Installed Successfully, as Intended), it's pretty new on the already crowded Linux distro scene but not based on any other distro, and it contains some really interesting developments." LinuxPlanet welcomes reviewer Dan Lynch with his look at this unique distribution.
Monday, December 17, 2007 01:24:07 PM EST

Text-to-Speech and Other KWord Tips
Last week we learned how to create text frames, and how to control text flow across multiple frames. Today we're going to learn some great shortcut for navigating long documents, some simple tricks for managing photo printing, and how to turn on KWord's text-to-speech engine and make it read to you.
Thursday, December 13, 2007 09:34:18 AM EST

KWord, The Lightweight Word Processing Power Tool
OpenOffice is the darling of the FOSS office suites, and it is a nice suite. It's cross-platform, and OpenOffice Writer is a first-rate word processor with a lot of advanced features. But it's not the only good option for Linux users: Abiword and KWord are excellent lightweight word processors with good feature sets, and both are licensed under the GPL. All three are wonderful. In this two-part series we're going to dig into KWord 1.6, and mine some of its hidden jewels.
Thursday, December 6, 2007 10:50:38 AM EST

gOS: Undocumented Enlightenment
gOS, the hot new Linux distribution, has been generating a lot of buzz because it comes with the Everex Green PC, sold at Wal-Mart for $200. Linux reviewers are totally in love with it, and are praising it to the skies. Naturally, Carla Schroder had to find out if it lives up to the hype.
Thursday, November 29, 2007 11:22:54 AM EST

Reviewing the Asus Eee PC 4G
The Taiwanese tech heavyweight Asus has introduced a $400 laptop with most of the capability of a $2,000 Sony or Fujitsu subnotebook; the convenience and usability missing from members of Intel's Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC) club; and the goofiest name of the year. How does this Linux-based system stack up to other, larger systems? Surprisingly well...
Monday, November 26, 2007 09:19:22 AM EST

Linux Backups For Real People, Part 3
Today we're going to create menu icons for launching our backups whenever we darned well feel like it, set up a simple network backup scheme, and create automatic scheduled backups.
Thursday, November 15, 2007 10:00:35 AM EST

StartCom Delivers Free Enterprise Server
The most recent release of StartCom Enterprise Linux is based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 5.0 and provides all the base functionality you'll find in that distribution. That begs the question "why bother?" Freely available might be one good reason to start with
Thursday, September 27, 2007 10:57:39 AM EST

Ubuntu Popularity: Blessing or Curse?
For an increasing number of people, Ubuntu is GNU/Linux. Yet, looking at the pre-releases of Gutsy Gibbon, Ubuntu 7.10, I found myself becoming disturbed by the degree to which this popularity has translated into uncritical acceptance.
Monday, September 24, 2007 12:21:50 PM EST

Damn Small Linux Makes Darn Big Impression
At a mere 50MB, Damn Small Linux seems like it would be more at home in the realm of rescue disks instead of Desktop OSs. After booting up into full graphical mode, you may be hooked on this tiny distribution forever.
Thursday, September 13, 2007 11:09:07 AM EST

Custom Linux Kernels with Debian and Fedora
Fedora and Debian make building a custom kernel and packaging it for rollout a simple process. Part 2 of the Linux kernel compilation series examines the unique steps in getting these popular distros' set up with a custom kernel.
Thursday, August 9, 2007 11:45:02 AM EST

Migrating to Linux? Use These Open Source Apps
The single biggest argument against a smooth migration to one of the popular desktop Linux distributions is the belief that key applications are not available on the Linux platform. However there are a multitude of fantastic open source alternatives that are easy to install and free to use.
Thursday, July 19, 2007 10:35:48 AM EST

Migrating to Linux in the Enterprise Using Vendor-independent Formats
An impulsive and immediate migration to Linux can sometimes lead to disappointment. Ambitious businesses are sometimes led to believe that their data can merely be be dumped from one platform onto another, but the reality is a little more complex than this. In order for a migration to be successful, one needs to be familiar with native Linux applications, and the data needs to be stored in a format that is independent from just a single application.
Monday, July 16, 2007 11:05:47 AM EST

Protecting Data with Encrypted Linux Partitions Part 2
Last week we learned how to create and use an encrypted, password-protected hard-drive partition using cryptsetup-luks. Today we're going to learn how to mount it automatically at boot, how to encrypt a USB stick, and some slick password-management hacks.
Thursday, June 21, 2007 03:33:21 PM EST

Ease-of-Use Tips for the Desktop
These are short and easy things to do which can make your Linux desktop even more convenient than it currently is. Trying Ubuntu out without changing your distribution or creating a new drive partition or installing it on another HD, setting up OpenOffice so ability to read/write Windows Office 2007 word processor documents are what you'll learn how to do today.
Monday, June 18, 2007 10:15:11 AM EST

Open Source Zenoss Muscles Into Net Monitoring
Obvious quality control and performance distinguish commercial, open source Zenoss from other offerings in the network and service monitoring field.
Friday, June 1, 2007 02:00:46 PM EST

RT Scratches a Trouble-Ticketing Itch
When enough people agree that what's available isn't enough, open source software is born. That's the case with RT, a trouble-ticketing system that outclasses the commercial competition.
Friday, June 1, 2007 09:24:37 AM EST

GPL 3: Will Somebody Get Short-Changed, No Matter What?
Whether or not the GPL 3's controversial "grandfather" clause ever sees the light of day, it's sure to carry impacts of one sort or another, not just on Novell and Microsoft, but also on competitors, business customers, and smaller Linux toolmakers. Just about any way you flip the coin, somebody's bound to get short-changed (or to feel that way, anyhow).
Monday, April 9, 2007 08:18:53 AM EST

LinuxWorld OpenSolutions Wrap Up--Is Open Source Really Superior?
Without a doubt, the topic wasn't on the official list of conference tracks at LinuxWorld OpenSolutions Summit 2007. But among IT managers and developers who braved icy winds and snow to trek to the two-day show in New York City, talk was in the air over whether software emerging from the open source tradition is really any better than other software.
Monday, February 19, 2007 09:38:35 AM EST

2006: What it All Means for the Penguin
In this guest op-ed piece, Carla Schroder explains how 2006 was the Year of Linux. Really, no kidding.
Thursday, January 4, 2007 10:34:44 AM EST

Track Your Systems With NetIQ
Managing hundreds or thousands of servers and desktops is a daunting job. System and network administrators need to be able to quickly load new machines, install applications, coordinate backups, balance network loads, and troubleshoot outages. They are constantly under assault by viruses, cyber criminals, and their own budgets. Rob Reilly examines one possible solution in NetIQ.
Monday, December 18, 2006 10:26:23 AM EST

Virtualization and Linux--A Primer (Part 2)
From chroot jails to Xen, there are plenty of virtualization solutions to consider for sandboxed Linux services. Carla Schroder concludes her look at virtualization tools, with a look at the stars and the honorable mentions in the field.
Thursday, December 14, 2006 10:07:29 AM EST

NFSv4: A Unix Mainstay Learns New Tricks
NFS hasn't ever had much starpower, but with an improved Linux implementation and Internet-age enhancements, version four of an old standby is worth a second look for networked file access.
Monday, November 13, 2006 10:05:26 AM EST

Writer's Cafe Offers Novel Approach to Writing
As a fiction or novel writer, are you searching for a writing tool to help you harness your creativity and get down to efficiently developing your plot? You might have a cast of characters and need to incorporate several different sub-plots. Maybe you think in a non-linear fashion and need to get your million-dollar manuscript done sometime this next... oh, we don't know... decade. If so, check out this review from Rob Reilly.
Thursday, November 9, 2006 11:32:32 AM EST

A Diehard SUSE User Tries Ubuntu 6.10
"I'd heard that it was a nice package, but really haven't spent much time with it. SUSE Linux and I have been together for quite a while and when you have something that works, you stick with it. Many readers are probably in the same boat Nevertheless, curiosity got the better of me..."
Tuesday, November 7, 2006 10:18:05 AM EST

Will Oracle's 'Standardization' Offset Linux Fragmentation?
While Oracle's moves to provide enterprise-level support around Red Hat Linux are stirring up controversy, the vendor's decision to join the Free Standards Group (FSG), also unveiled last week, is capturing less attention. Yet is it possible that Oracle's newly minted membership in the standards group might actually help to dispel industry fragmentation?
Tuesday, October 31, 2006 03:10:22 PM EST

Firefox 2.0: More Than Just a Surfboard
Rob Reilly files his review of Firefox 2.0: "The two big things I liked in the edition include enhancements to tabbed browsing and an embedded spell checker. Version 2.0 also has an updated add-on manager that consolidates the add-on extension and theme functions..."
Thursday, October 26, 2006 10:22:03 AM EST

A First Look at Flash 9 for Linux Beta
According to the Adobe Labs Web site, the big new features in Flash 9 are a full-screen display and a version that runs under Linux. Rob Reilly downloaded the plug-in for Firefox, as well as the standalone Flash Player, to see how it worked and to file this quick review.
Friday, October 20, 2006 11:49:38 AM EST

Linux Devices Coming to Market
Business and consumer users will soon be hooking up their Windows-based desktop and mobile PCs to more Linux-enabled devices, as witnessed by a new multimedia storage box from HP as well as the planned announcement of new wireless hardware from Symbol later this month.
Friday, October 6, 2006 01:31:23 PM EST

Ohio LinuxFest Logs Another Big Year
Last weekend marked the Ohio LinuxFest in Columbus, Ohio, where 1,000 attendees gathered once again to share knowledge and fellowship about their favorite operating system. Buckeye reporter Ian Hodge attended the conference and filed this review.
Thursday, October 5, 2006 10:19:33 AM EST

Finding China, Crystal, and Tableware With Linux
Seven million customers. Over 11 million items in an inventory with more than 250,000 patterns. Find out how one company in the business of replacing lost items found its way to a better IT solution with Linux.
Tuesday, October 3, 2006 10:54:25 AM EST

Conversational Voice Recognition With Wizzard Software
Voice recognition has been a dream of many for the last 10 years. It's an illusive goal because interpreting speech is very complicated and takes a lot of computing power. Rob Reilly reviews one Linux application trying to meet the challange.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006 12:22:36 PM EST

Sectoo--A Live Look at Gentoo
Live Linux CDs are popping up all over the place. Mainstream distributions like SimplyMepis let you try before you install, as does Ubuntu and Linspire. There are also specialized distributions like Knoppix and Dynebolic. One Gentoo Linux-based distribution, called Sectoo, might also warrant a "live" look, as Rob Reilly reports.
Thursday, September 7, 2006 09:53:22 AM EST

Search the Web, vi Style
The mouse isn't the be-all end-all of the PC-to-human interface system. Before the mouse there was the keyboard, which is perfectly fine to use while searching the vast Internet--once you try a new search engine called visearch. Rob Reilly types away at the engine and interviews its creators within.
Tuesday, September 5, 2006 10:43:18 AM EST

Collax Hits North American SMB Shores
In a LinuxWorld that seems very dedicated to interoperability and virtualization topics, one unique product announcement thus far has been the US launch of the Collax Business Server Tuesday.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006 12:00:15 PM EST

HP Debuts Software, Direct Support for Debian
At LinuxWorld today, Hewlett-Packard issued a string of announcements around Debian GNU/Linux, a Linux distribution available to users and resellers without the licensing fees charged by commercial Linux vendors such as Red Hat and Novell SUSE Linux. HP's new Debian offerings include first-time direct phone support for Debian, Debian enablement on HP ProLiant and BladeSystem servers, and Debian thin client software.
Monday, August 14, 2006 06:49:24 PM EST

Versora Progression Desktop 2.0 Progresses
Versora's Progression Desktop migration tool gets better with every release. Now on version 2.0, the developers have expanded the capabilities of the software and qualified it with many more operating systems. It's never been easier to transfer your settings from Windows to GNU/Linux. Jem Matzan files this review.
Thursday, August 10, 2006 10:18:59 AM EST

Scalix-ing Up to Enterprise Messaging Needs
One difficulty all commercial Linux-based e-mail and groupware products face is the availability of free open source software with similar functionality. Scalix Corp.'s Scalix Server addresses this with free versions, but its business model seeks to woo customers to more advanced groupware in its Small Business and Enterprise editions.
Thursday, August 3, 2006 10:36:19 AM EST

Tabbing Through Firefox 2.0
How many tabs can you fit in one Firefox 2.0 window? While not as culturally stimulating as the Tootsie Pop question, it is nonetheless one of the new features explored in this mini-review of Firefox 2.0 Beta 1.
Monday, July 31, 2006 10:07:21 AM EST

How Dapper is Drake?
Yes, we know you're sick of hearing about Ubuntu. Ubuntu this, Ubuntu that, everyone must love Ubuntu or else. Don't run away screaming just yet, because there are good reasons for all the Ubuntu buzz, as Carla Schroder reports.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006 09:28:23 AM EST

The Linux 2.6 Kernel: Cracking the Code
In this special report on the Linux kernel, Sean Michael Kerner summarizes the activity, its origins and where its going, in order to help readers gain a deeper understanding of the kernel, as well as Linux.
Friday, June 23, 2006 11:26:18 AM EST

Novell Lets Bandit Loose
Managing your identity in the Internet of 2006 is a complex Web that requires multiple identities and passwords for multiple sites and services. Enter the open source Bandit project from Novell.
Friday, June 16, 2006 01:53:04 PM EST

Fly Your Penguin On Google Earth
Although Google Earth was impressive on Windows, many Linux users never tried it before. Thanks to the new release of Google Earth version 4 beta for Linux, they're going to get their chance. First-time Google Earth user put his new download to the test and files this early review.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006 09:13:25 PM EST

Yankee Stipulates Windows More Reliable than Linux
Windows Server and Linux are growing up fast, but they still aren't a match for the solid, stable Unix systems on the high-end of the server scale. That's the conclusion of a report from The Yankee Group, which released it 2006 Global Server Reliability Survey on Wednesday.
Friday, June 9, 2006 01:05:19 PM EST

Xandros Server: Pre-Packaged Power, Centralized
The latest product from Xandros Linux, traditionally known for slick desktop Linux distributions, combines an out-of-the-box, enterprise-caliber Linux server solution with a graphical console for centralized system administration that combines the kinds of bells and whistles desired by cult members with the ease-of-use needed by everybody else, according to reviewer Bill von Hagen.
Monday, June 5, 2006 10:05:04 AM EST

IceWarp Takes the Linux Mail Server Plunge
Taking on the Linux world with an e-mail server that is neither open source nor free in any sense of the word is a risky endeavor. IceWarp is diving in with a high-performance mail engine and a suite of additional components to accompany it.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006 10:26:50 AM EST

New Mono-Based Applications for GNOME in Fedora Core 5--Part 2
In the first part of this series from Dee-Ann LeBlanc, the issue of Mono was introduced along with one of the Mono applications for GNOME adopted for Fedora Core 5. Another of these is F-Spot, a photo management and editing program that offers a nice change for those who are overwhelmed by The GIMP.
Monday, May 8, 2006 10:40:53 AM EST

New Mono-Based Applications for GNOME in Fedora Core 5--Part 1
As long as Red Hat refused to touch Mono--the open source, multi-platform implementation of Microsoft's .Net framework--various power struggles and problems were occurring. So why include Mono in Fedora Core 5, given the controversies and the fact that Mono isn't strictly necessary for the future of GNOME? Dee-Ann LeBlanc files this report on the technology behind one of GNOME's new Mono-based apps: Beagle.
Monday, May 1, 2006 09:53:58 AM EST

Adventures with a SUSE Linux-Powered OQO Palmtop
"After seeing the specs for the OQO model 01+ tablet palmtop PC, I knew I had to put SUSE 10.0 Linux on it and do a review..." So, we let him. Rob Reilly's review within.
Friday, April 28, 2006 03:10:04 PM EST

Buffalo LinkTheater High-Definition: A Linux Multimedia Center from End to End
While the legal wrangling continues, early generation products are coming to market. Some of these appliances run Linux, some run Windows Media Center, and some run proprietary setups. One of the Linux-run entertainment appliances on the market today is the Buffalo LinkTheater High-Definition Wireless Media Player. Dee-Ann and Robert LeBlanc file this review.
Thursday, April 13, 2006 10:45:27 AM EST

StarOffice 8: Office Killer?
StarOffice incorporates five components, called StarOffice Writer, StarOffice Calc, StarOffice Impress (a presentation package), StarOffice Base, and StarOffice Draw. This thorough article is a combination of a review of the functionality and Martin Brown's experiences of using StarOffice 8 for day-to-day tasks.
Monday, March 6, 2006 01:20:47 PM EST

SageTV Not Ready for Prime Time
As much as we may love and support the open source Linux community, it's nice to see commercial vendors moving into the Linux platform space, especially when it's a consumer-facing product. It was therefore a pleasant surprise to see that SageTV, known for their Windows-based personal video recorder software, had announced a Linux version at the Consumer Electronics Show.
Thursday, March 2, 2006 09:58:48 AM EST

Easing Into Linux With Xandros Desktop OS 3.0.2
If you have a fairly standard platform, the Xandros Desktop distribution may be a good fit for you. Rob Reilly files his review of the latest version of this Debian-based distro.
Thursday, February 23, 2006 11:07:24 AM EST

Pixel Image Editor Gives Graphics Goodness
Pixel is a multi-award-winning, multi-platform image editor aimed at the Adobe Photoshop market. Dee-Ann LeBlanc takes this shareware app for Linux on a test drive to see how it compares to Photoshop and The GIMP.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006 11:34:44 AM EST

Four Linux Games I Can't Stop Playing
The GNU/Linux operating system isn't exactly known for gaming, but that doesn't mean that there aren't any games on it that are worth playing. LinuxPlanet welcomes new contributor Jem Matzan, who introduces us to games worth your time.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006 10:58:21 AM EST

Scalix 10 Turns It Up to Eleven
When you think of Web-based e-mail, images of static text, clunky interfaces, and slow performance may come to mind. Until this week, that was the reality that many of us had to contend with. The release of Scalix 10 promises to radically alter that reality. Brian Proffitt reviews the demo and talks to Scalix founder Julie Farris.
Thursday, February 16, 2006 01:56:33 PM EST

Blue Security's Do Not Intrude Registry
Most people set up some type of filter to weed out the bad email from the good. That approach, has its limitations. One company is trying a new, open source-based approach that creates a user-enforced "Do Not Spam" list.
Thursday, February 2, 2006 09:23:03 AM EST

Safehaus Finds Open Source Business Model in OATH
Can an open source .org find happiness and success in teaming up with a multivendor consortium? It's a business model that seems to work for Safehaus, an organization now collaborating with OATH (Initiative for Open AuTHentication) on technologies for authenticating cell phone subscribers, among other things. Jacqueline Emigh reports.
Friday, January 20, 2006 12:08:05 PM EST

SUSE 10 Linux--96% 64-Bit Notebook Bliss
64-bit users will be happy to hear that a lot of functionality is ready out-of-the-box with SUSE Linux 10. There are some hurdles to contend with, but rather than just point them out, Rob Reilly shows you how to move past these hurdles and get a 100% efficient Linux laptop.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006 09:55:41 AM EST

Tale of a Black Dog
What is a Black Dog? It's a complete USB-powered Linux server which fits easily in the palm of your hand. Powered by a 400-MHz PowerPC processor, 64 MB of RAM, and either 256 MB or 512 MB of flash, this pint-sized pet packs quite a bite (or is that "byte"?). Russell Pavlicek finds out in this product review.
Thursday, December 8, 2005 10:07:28 AM EST

The Yin and Yang of Open Source Commerce
In this special report, now combined into one story by popular demand, John Terpstra considers key aspects that impact the future of OSS in the business and consumer markets. In view of the history of OSS, it is most unlikely that development will cease at any time in the foreseeable future. That is not an issue. What is of concern is the commercial outlook for goods and services that are based on OSS. Put another way: will OSS re-shape the entire IT industry, or will it never be more than a passing fad for niche players?
Tuesday, November 1, 2005 11:04:53 AM EST

Teaming Up with Zimbra's Collaboration Suite
Email is a pretty mundane topic these days. Since it's so pervasive, the subject is rarely brought up at social gatherings. And, if other email systems work the same, why switch to anything new? Rob Reilly finds that one new system, Zimbra, may get the conversation started again.
Monday, October 24, 2005 01:42:22 PM EST

Run With The Big Dogs On Chubby Puppy Linux
Chubby Puppy Linux "fills out" the regular Puppy Linux release with the addition of the OpenOffice.org suite of applications. It's a full figured Linux version in a fast, lightweight liveCD package. It will put a little bite into that shaggy old retired desktop. Rob Reilly reviews.
Thursday, October 20, 2005 12:16:54 PM EST

The Present and Future with Fedora Core 4
Each new release of Fedora Core brings with it new possibilities. Red Hat Enterprise and Fedora Core 4: The Complete Reference by Richard Petersen makes a special effort to incorporate the latest developments of Fedora Core as well as Linux in general.
Thursday, September 22, 2005 11:32:05 AM EST

Opening Solaris
A lot of hooplah has been distributed by Sun Microsystems on the advantages of their OpenSolaris/Solaris 10 release. Martin C. Brown has been using said software for the past few months and files his review that helps answer the question: has someone finally found a Linux killer?
Thursday, September 15, 2005 11:12:55 AM EST

SCO Forum: Dueling with Linux & Microsoft
"While thousands of members of the Linux community flocked to San Francisco for LinuxWorld, a smaller group of several hundred resellers convened in Las Vegas last week at SCO Forum, where they heard SCO officials deliver a competitive strategy that was anti-Linux and anti-Microsoft, almost in the same breath..."
Monday, August 15, 2005 03:37:50 PM EST

Rackspace's Red Label Blows Away Linux Support Myth
"If you use Linux, you will have no support." This accusation is still smouldering, despite the presence of top-line support programs from Red Hat, Novell, and Mandriva, among others. Today, a third-party vendor is throwing more water on this particular bit of FUD with the announcement of a new managed host offering.
Monday, July 18, 2005 12:29:10 PM EST

Classic UNIX Programming Text Updated
After 13 years, Addison-Wesley has published an update to a classic UNIX System programming text: Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment. After the death of the original author, Rich Stevens, in 1999, it was difficult to find someone to tackle a project this big. We recently caught up with the co-author, Steve Rago, to get a behind-the-scenes look at this project.
Tuesday, July 5, 2005 12:18:35 PM EST

Bluefish... It's A Keeper For HTML Editing
Bluefish is a handy, text-based HTML editor for anybody that needs to crank out a lot of Web content, without a lot of fluff. It comes bundled with SUSE Linux 9.3 Professional as version 1.0. Don't be fooled by the low release number, Rob Reilly reports. Bluefish is a mature application that does its job quickly and efficiently.
Monday, June 27, 2005 10:48:30 AM EST

Review: XAMPP--An Apache Server Stack
"The cornerstone of most open source application serving is the ubiquitous LAMP (Linux Apache MySQL PHP/Python/Perl) stack. Yet it's not always as easy as you'd expect to get all the elements of the stack properly installed and working together. Enter XAMPP..."
Wednesday, June 8, 2005 11:35:38 PM EST

LinuxWorld Summit: Linux Lowers TCO
"Organizations are finding that Linux lowers TCO (total cost of ownership) on both the desktop and server sides, but specific results vary according to the situation, said John Dobbs, principal strategist for Novell, speaking at LinuxWorld Summit in New York City..."
Tuesday, May 31, 2005 10:28:41 AM EST

SUSE 9.2 vs. 9.3: A 64-Bit Comparison
Concluding our look at SUSE Linux, Rob Reilly loads up the latest and greatest and sees what new features--and new gotchas--reside in the 64-bit version of SUSE Linux Professional 9.3.
Thursday, May 19, 2005 10:36:17 AM EST

SUSE 9.3: More, Better, Faster, Now!
Novell's latest release of SUSE Linux, SUSE 9.3, demonstrates Novell's continuing commitment to delivering polished, off-the-shelf, 32-bit Linux distributions for the desktop and professional markets. October 2004, which is when the previous version of SUSE Linux was released, seems like only yesterday. So what's new--and, perhaps, why should people care?
Monday, May 16, 2005 12:40:42 PM EST

Pavilion, SUSE Make for Great Portable 64-Bit Computing
While Microsoft struggles to capitalize on 64-bit power, Linux has led the way for years. Correspondent Rob Reilly dusts off an older version of SUSE and demonstrates that even year-old Linux technology can run rings around anything out there for the 64-bit desktop and provide users with one screaming portable machine.
Thursday, May 12, 2005 11:52:31 AM EST

Mandriva LE--The Drake Flies South for the Future
The merger of Mandrakesoft and Conectiva has already borne fruit in the form of Mandriva Limited Edition 2005. Bill von Hagen takes the new distro out for a spin and lets us know what the future has in store for this transatlantic product.
Monday, May 2, 2005 11:14:15 AM EST

Fedora Core 4 Test 2--Plenty to Look Forward to in FC4
"RHEL 4.0 was quite nice and a great update for enterprise Red Hat users. I even have an FC3 box around that I use to keep myself up to speed on what is certainly a popular distribution for both new Linux users and Red Hat Linux refugees. So let's look at the latest and greatest from Fedora, Fedora Core 4 Test 2..."
Monday, April 25, 2005 04:05:31 PM EST

CentOS 4 Offers Strong RHEL Alternative
"Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 was released on February 14th, CentOS issued its cloned version two weeks later on March 2nd. Since then I've been evaluating CentOS and putting it through its paces to see if it would hold up to its auspicious genetic parent..."
Sunday, April 17, 2005 06:02:30 PM EST

Tenor, The Context Link Engine
The increasing number of files that are showing up on computers make traditional heirarchical file management systems harder and harder to use, regardless of platform. One group in the KDE Project believes they may be onto the solution with the context-based file management system known as Tenor.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005 12:05:56 PM EST

Turbolinux 10F: Turbolinux is Alive and Well
"Turbolinux is alive and well and living in the Asia/Pacific, bringing the power of Linux to millions of people who may not know Red Hat and SUSE outside of press releases. Hey, where was I when the rest of the world started to exist...?"
Monday, April 4, 2005 12:27:36 PM EST

Book Review: A Practical Reference for the Open Source Advocate
Sure, open source is the coolest thing since sliced bread... but before he opens the checkbook, your boss is going to want more definitive reasons for implementing OSS in the company. As part of our renewal of Linux and open source book reviews, we examine a book that has all the right reasons for open source in one place.
Thursday, March 24, 2005 10:29:06 AM EST

A First Look at OpenOffice.org 2.0
A lot can change in a software release, and OpenOffice.org 2.0 is no exception. Rob Reilly takes a first look at OpenOffice 2.0 Beta, with screenshots of the latest addition to the popular office application, Base, as well as some of the other new features this open source productivity suite has to offer.
Tuesday, March 1, 2005 07:42:15 AM EST

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0--The Enterprise Gets An Update
Conservative release cycles and a more exhaustive test cycle make Red Hat Enterprise Linux a safer bet for the business community--they don't have to chase the release of the week. So how does the newest release of the RHEL line hold up? Bill von Hagen reviews.
Monday, February 14, 2005 12:05:15 AM EST

Ubuntu Linux--Would You Like Some Community With That?
Ubuntu is a Debian-based distribution that is probably the most philosophical of all Linux distributions, which is saying a lot in the Open Source space. Bill von Hagen discovers the philosophy behind the code in this review.
Thursday, February 3, 2005 08:03:37 PM EST

Xandros Desktop OS 3.0: A Solid, Modern Replacement for a Windows Desktop
Xandros' latest release of their Linux distribution, known as Xandros Desktop OS, continues their tradition of a polished, complete distribution oriented towards user who formerly used a Microsoft Windows desktop system. Bill von Hagen files his review.
Thursday, January 27, 2005 10:39:51 AM EST

ESP Print Pro: The Commercial Cousin to CUPS
CUPS is the standard printing system on virtually all modern Linux distributions and MacOS X. It runs on all Unixes, and provides print services to Windows and *nix systems. CUPS + Linux make a good printer server for Linux/Unix LANs. CUPS + Linux + Samba make a great printer server for Windows and mixed LANs. So if CUPS is free, why should you even consider paying money for ESP Print Pro?
Thursday, January 20, 2005 10:35:28 AM EST

Linux Live with Knoppix Version 3.7
There are cases when for evaluation, demonstration, recovery or otherwise you don't want to install a new operating system onto a hard drive. It's in those cases that a "non-invasive" CD-based operating system (look ma no hard drive!), in the Linux world usually called Live CDs (or Linux Live) really comes in handy.
Monday, January 10, 2005 09:52:07 AM EST

Xandros Desktop Management Server Illustrates a Maturing Linux Market
The real key to successful penetration of the desktop space is the availability of administrative tools that make it easy to deploy, update, and manage Linux installations across multiple desktops. In this review, Bill von Hagen explores how the Xandros Desktop Management Server nicely fills this niche.
Thursday, January 6, 2005 10:32:45 AM EST

Review: Small Business Accounting Software For Linux
Choosing small business or personal accounting software seems relatively simple: evaluate features, ease of use, price, support--the usual things. The one factor that can really drive you nuts is migrating away from an existing installation. So why should anyone even consider migrating away from Quicken/QuickBooks (or other Windows accounting program) to a Linux accounting program? Carla Schroder reviews three applications that may help answer this question.
Monday, January 3, 2005 08:52:44 AM EST

Novell Linux Desktop--A Linux Distribution for Enterprise Desktops
There's a good deal of general confusion about how NetWare, SUSE Linux, SUSE Enterprise Server, various mail products, eDirectory, ZENworks, Ximian's desktop and Evolution mail client, and now the Novell Linux Desktop all fit together. Bill von Hagen reviews the latest Novell Linux Desktop offering to sort all this out.
Monday, December 27, 2004 09:39:14 AM EST

CentOS: Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Minus Red Hat
Users who want Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS3 without actually paying money for it have a number of options, including downloading and compiling or outright stealing (not recommended). Or you can find a free distribution that has put all the packages together for you. Such is CentOS.
Thursday, December 23, 2004 08:17:40 AM EST

SUSE Linux 9.2: Let the Branding Begin!
Some say Novell hasn't done a very good job of explaining its Linux strategy except to say "we like it" and "Linux is the foundation for our future." With the release of SUSE 9.2 and various statements about the new NetWare, things seem to become more clear.
Thursday, December 16, 2004 02:58:41 PM EST

Fedora Core 3: Cruising The Bleeding Edge
The first thing anyone considering using Fedora needs to know is this is not a safe, sane Linux distribution. This is the playground for Red Hat engineers and random volunteer developers to go nuts and try out wacky new things, and users get to play along. It has a fast release cycle of 2-3 times per year, with shiny new things in every release. So you should expect a few bumps and lumps.
Thursday, December 9, 2004 01:23:06 PM EST

UserLinux Beta 1: The Precursor to the Next Enterprise Linux Distro?
"UserLinux is a Linux distribution with very high aspirations. Founded and backed by Linux luminary Bruce Perens, part of the UserLinux mission is to repair the economic paradigm of enterprise Linux. The recently released UserLinux Beta 1 is perhaps a tangible small step on the path toward achieving its lofty ambitions..."
Thursday, October 14, 2004 11:16:22 AM EST

Loving the Linspire Desktop
Linux--a word that normally causes migraines for non-techies--is a whole lot easier to swallow as a desktop operating system. We take a look at Linspire to see what it offers small business owners who might not think they have the tech-savvy to put Linux in their shop.
Monday, August 30, 2004 02:49:46 PM EST

Ordering a la Carte Off the Gordano Menu
Last month, Gordano added a new version of its Collaboration Server module to the a la carte menu of its Messaging Suite components. The server brings to the table support for all of Outlook's advanced collaboration features, features this review serves within.
Monday, August 23, 2004 11:07:50 AM EST

Cedega Linux Revives Linux Gaming
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Has TransGaming lived up to the hype in the latest version of WineX, or is the new Cedega product just a fancy name change? We pulled Kurt Wall away from some serious gameplaying to get his take on the new software that lets you play Windows games on a Linux box. (And, just as a hint: we had to really pull hard...)
Tuesday, July 6, 2004 12:04:42 PM EST

GNOME 2.6: Two Left Feet?
"I've written in this space before that I'll trade performance for eye candy almost every time, so GNOME 2.6 was at a disadvantage before I even got started with it. Nothing in the quality time I spent with GNOME 2.6 the last few days has caused me to change my mind..."
Thursday, June 3, 2004 11:02:10 AM EST

Fedora Core 2 Brims With New Features
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What's new in the latest beta (1.92, Test 3) of Fedora Core 2? Plenty, and I'm not talking about new versions of this or that package (they're there), a slicker installer (it is), or a prettier desktop (it isn't). Nosireebob, the changes in Fedora Core represent what might amount to the biggest set of changes in the Linux distribution world since Caldera (yeah, I know, hiss, boo) introduced a graphical installer back in the dark ages of 1998.
Monday, May 17, 2004 11:27:23 AM EST

Enterprise Assessment Kit Fails to (L)inspire
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The Desktop Linux Enterprise Assessment Kit provides a certain level of convenience, enabling busy IT people to run a simple evaluation of several versions of the Linspire OS from a bootable DVD, sparing at least initially the need for a test machine. Yet it seems any clever IT staffer could find a way to do this without spending $150.
Thursday, April 22, 2004 10:09:16 AM EST

It’s a Love/Hate Relationship with Mozilla Mail 1.6
A veteran Windows user takes a journey to Open Source when spam drives him away from Outlook Express and into the arms of Mozilla Mail 1.6.
Monday, April 5, 2004 12:04:32 PM EST

Addressing Address Books For Linux
Who do you know and how do you get in touch with them? Scribbled notes on the computer screen? A five-pound day planner? Or how about some nifty Linux applications that will easily handle your address organization needs? Since this is LinuxPlanet, and not ScribblePlanet, we'll go with the latter...
Thursday, April 1, 2004 10:48:06 AM EST

Mandrake Is On The Move
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MandrakeSoft has recently released Mandrakelinux 10.0 Community, an early-adopter's release of Mandrakelinux 10.0 Official, due out in May. Even though it's only a public beta, the newest Mandrakelinux is definitely worth the download, some rough edges notwithstanding. Here's why I think so.
Monday, March 29, 2004 09:07:52 AM EST

Koming Back to KDE
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Candidly, I was concerned that KDE's size and complexity would result in a desktop that was virtually unusable. I'm pleased and surprised to report that the KDE of today is a far cry from the bug-ridden, crash-prone, bloated pig of a desktop that I abandoned with disgust in the last millennium. Read on to learn why.
Monday, March 15, 2004 10:36:17 AM EST

Helix Player Needs More Cooking Time
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"I've never really been satisfied with the slate of streaming media players for Linux. I'm thinking specifically of the one from RealNetworks. Okay, to get down to cases, I think Real Player for Linux sucks... I've spent the past few days with Helix Player for Linux, and my opinion of the Real technology, repackaged as Helix DNA, has changed. Read on to see why..."
Monday, March 8, 2004 11:16:45 AM EST

Off The Shelf And Onto Your Lap(top)
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A Linux training company did so well with their laptop giveaways, they're starting to sell new Linux laptops as part of their business. LinuxPlanet recently got their hands on one of these machines, and has a review of LinuxCertified's new product venture.
Thursday, March 4, 2004 10:14:04 AM EST

Kernel 2.6 Rocks the Enterprise World
Linux Kernel 2.6 has been in stable release for months now, which is like dog's years in kernel time. Kernel releases are exciting times for Linux geeks, because it's just plain fun to be able to replace the kernel on a system, or have several different kernels installed, and choose among them as the whim strikes. Oh yes, you want to gain improved performance and functionality, too...
Wednesday, February 25, 2004 09:34:36 AM EST

The Cell Phone Rings Thrice for Trolltech
Beyond the announcement of Motorola's A760 smartphone last month, Qtopia-maker Trolltech has inked deals with three more manufacturers for Linux-based phones. Jacqueline Emigh delves into the details with Trolltech CEO Haarvard Nord.
Thursday, November 20, 2003 11:19:54 AM EST

Linux--The Most Secure OS of All?
Continuing her coverage of PC Expo's sessions on Linux and Open Source, Jacqueline Emigh rounds up secure and hardened Linux distros and reports on what needs can be met by which hardened Linux distribution.
Thursday, October 2, 2003 03:39:01 PM EST

NetMax Professional: Bringing Linux to the Less Technically Inclined
Cybernet Systems has created the NetMax Professional Suite in an effort to release an out-of-the-box turnkey Linux solution requiring very little technical knowledge to configure and maintain. Have they succeeded? Aaron Weiss reviews.
Thursday, August 28, 2003 12:05:26 PM EST

TextMaker Makes Strong Showing as Linux Word Processor
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OpenOffice.org is really good, but sometimes it might be a bit too much resource for your simple word processing needs. SoftMaker's new TextMaker for Linux provides an excellent alternative as a very fast and very useful word processor. Rob Reilly took the word processor through some paces and files this review.
Thursday, July 3, 2003 10:07:44 AM EST

Yellow Dog 3.0 Better Red Hat than Red Hat 9
How does a distribution that's a carbon copy of Red Hat 9 install and perform better than Red Hat 9 itself? By having the inside track on the platform being used, that's how. Brian Proffitt had the opportunity to use Red Hat 9 on an Intel notebook and Yellow Dog 3.0 on an iBook recently, and in terms of ease of installation and ease of use, Yellow Dog won by a big, wet nose.
Thursday, June 19, 2003 12:12:15 PM EST

Linux at the (Server)Beach
An ISP running Linux is no big surprise these days. But how such an ISP, particularly one as popular as ServerBeach uses Linux now and in the future may be of interest. How they feel about Linux and Microsoft may also be an education in itself.
Wednesday, June 11, 2003 04:12:04 PM EST

SuSE Linux Demonstrates Old PCs Still Have Use
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When most reviewers look at a new version of a distro, they install and work with the software on the latest cutting edge hardware. Rob Reilly likes to take a different approach: as Linux distros evolve, do they still do well on the older platforms? Is Linux still a viable option to recycle old PCs and potentially save businesses thousands of dollars in hardware costs?
Monday, May 12, 2003 11:26:53 AM EST

Red Hat 9 Offers Continuity, Transparency for Users
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The latest version of Red Hat 9 (due for general release next week) offers a very stable and user-friendly platform suitable for home, corporate, and power users alike. How does one platform suit so many needs? Because for all the fancy trims and trapping, it's still Linux inside. Brian Proffitt spent last week using Red Hat 9 and files this review.
Tuesday, April 1, 2003 10:25:17 AM EST

Colorful KDE 3.1 Performance On Low-End Hardware
As desktops get more robust, the expected trend is to watch the performance of such desktops get slower and slower. But is this always the case? Rob Reilly took the new KDE 3.1 out for a spin not on cutting-edge hardware but on an older 133-MHz Pentium box. His findings show that Linux has a strong place for any legacy hardware your organization might still have lying around.
Monday, February 17, 2003 09:41:28 AM EST

Linux Makes Automation, Infrastructure Strides
The daunting task of managing large utility companies' physical assets and automating complex manufacturing was one the domain of commercial UNIX. Now one company is switching over their supervisory and control software to the Linux platform--and the customers are benefiting right from the get go.
Tuesday, January 21, 2003 08:32:20 AM EST

DistributionWatch: SCO Linux 4--Ready for the Big Time
What's in a name change? How does the new SCO Linux compare to the old Caldera OpenLinux and, more importantly, how does it stack up to today's corporate needs? In this review, Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols takes a good look at SCO Linux 4 to see what makes it tick.
Monday, January 13, 2003 08:39:39 AM EST

Xandros Desktop--Not Your Father's Linux Distribution
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The decendant of Corel Linux has made a splash on the Linux desktop scene with its look-and-feel and WINE capabilties. Bill von Hagen has reviewed the new release of Xandros Desktop and files this report on the good and not-so-good of Xandros.
Monday, November 11, 2002 10:37:54 AM EST

Red Hat 8.0: Past the Hype and Under the Hood
We've all read the reviews about how nifty/weird/wonderful/bad the new Red Hat desktop looks; we've all read about how well it installs. But what's the distribution really like? Carla Schroder has spent quite a bit of time actually using Red Hat 8, and files this report on how an actual Linux user reacts to the latest Red Hat release.
Monday, November 4, 2002 10:40:39 AM EST

Book Review: "The Business and Economics of Linux and Open Source"
Open source has been discussed in recent literature in sociological essays, political biographies, and techno-treatises written for geeks. Robert McMillan reviews a new book from Martin Fink that delves into the business side of open source.
Thursday, October 24, 2002 11:24:45 AM EST

First Look: UnitedLinux Open Beta is Here
With very little fanfare, the first open beta of UnitedLinux 1.0 is now ready for download. That's if you can get it. Download access is spotty as users try to get their hands on the new enterprise-oriented collaborative distribution. Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols got a hold of a copy and filed this initial preview report.
Friday, September 27, 2002 04:40:59 PM EST

Kylix 3: Borland's Linux Delphi and C++ RAD is a Winner
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When it was announced that the current version of the Kylix development environment would have C++ support, Linux developers were abuzz. Here, then, would be a RAD environment that they could sink their teeth into. Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols has done just that and has found out that Kylix 3 is indeed something worth dining upon.
Monday, September 9, 2002 12:07:06 PM EST

CrossOver Office: Cutting to the Quicken
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Codeweavers' CrossOver Office is a front-runner in a slew of WINE-based applications designed to get Microsoft Windows applications running on a Linux platform. Previous versions of this app were built to run MS Office, and now the company claims version 1.2.0 can run Intuit's Quicken. Brian Proffitt reviews CrossOver Office to find out if this is true and see what else CrossOver can run.
Thursday, August 29, 2002 11:20:32 AM EST

Linux Books: The Best and the Brightest
New to Linux? Not so new? There are online and offline sources of information about the free operating system to be found everywhere. If you are one of those people who are inclined to get their information from those offline objects known as "books," Dee-Ann LeBlanc provides this roundup up really helpful volumes for almost every skill level.
Monday, August 19, 2002 11:12:12 AM EST

Win4Lin--For Those Who Can't Leave Microsoft Windows Behind
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We hear it all the time from those poised to jump into the Linux pool: will my Windows apps work? Some commercial developers have created specific tools to help users run Windows-based apps under Linux. One of those cross-over tools is NeTraverse's Win4Lin. But does it really work? Dee-Ann LeBlanc reports.
Tuesday, July 16, 2002 10:23:16 PM EST

Distribution Watch: Gentoo Linux 1.2: Getting Better Every Day
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Gentoo is a streamlined distribution of Linux that is aimed at pleasing the discriminating developer audience. Dee-Ann LeBlanc takes a second look at this distro to find out just how well it performs.
Wednesday, July 10, 2002 01:33:27 PM EST

Gnome 2.0 RC1--A Huge Step Toward World GNOMEination
The first release candidate of GNOME 2.0 (GNOME 2.0 RC1, also known as "Fever Pitch") was announced June 14, and is spreading across the 'Net like wildfire. Bill von Hagen examines what's new in GNOME 2.0 and the release candidate, where to find it, how to install it, and whether or not to install it--as well as a crystal-ball look at some of the implications of GNOME's successes to date and GNOME 2.0's potential for the future.
Tuesday, June 18, 2002 10:33:47 AM EST

DistributionWatch: Another Tip of the Red Hat - Examining Red Hat 7.3
Red Hat Linux is the most commercially popular distribution of Linux out there today, hands down. However, reviewing a new release of Red Hat can make any reviewer a little wary of what they might find this time around. Bill von Hagen has examined Red Hat's latest release and has found some surprises, both good and, well, not so good.
Friday, June 14, 2002 11:33:57 AM EST

Taking Up the Slack(ware)
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The latest rev of Slackware, RC2 of Version 8.1, has been out for a few days, so Kurt Wall has taken it out for a test drive. Along the way, he discovered that many of things that make Slackware unique are still handled the same way. And maybe that's not such a bad thing.
Thursday, June 6, 2002 11:30:52 AM EST

A First Look at OpenOffice.org 1.0
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After all of the hooplah of reaching 1.0 one week ago, how does OpenOffice.org actually perform when compared with its StarOffice sibling and the ubiquitous (for now) Microsoft Office suite? Long-time StarOffice user Rob Reilly took OpenOffice.org 1.0 out for a spin over the last week and submits this initial review of the open-source office suite.
Wednesday, May 8, 2002 11:01:18 AM EST

A Sneak Preview of NetWin's SurgeMail
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In her continuing series on commercial mail servers, Dee-Ann LeBlanc examines the next generation of Dmail: NetWin's SurgeMail. How does it live up to its venerable predecessor?
Monday, May 6, 2002 11:50:12 AM EST

Evaluating Mozilla 1.0 Candidate 1
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Mozilla 1.0 is coming and many users are wondering how it will stack up as a personal and business tool. A lot of anecdotal evidence is out there, so Rob Reilly has sat down and tested the latest release candidate for Mozilla 1.0 to see what the numbers really say.
Thursday, April 25, 2002 12:21:50 PM EST

Distribution Watch: SuSE Linux 8.0 Beta
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SuSE is aiming high with their 8.0 release, due out April 22. They claim it will be the fastest, easiest, prettiest, bestest distribution yet. Is it? Kurt Wall takes a sneak peek at the final SuSE beta and forms his own opinion.
Thursday, April 18, 2002 10:26:40 AM EST

Distribution Watch: Gentoo Linux
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In a world where Linux distros seem to try to embrace everyone and everything, it is a pleasant change to see distributions that target smaller groups. In the case of Gentoo Linux, that group is the software developers among us. But does the newest version of Gentoo make the grade? Dee-Ann LeBlanc reviews.
Monday, April 15, 2002 10:29:29 AM EST

KDE 3.0 Review: Bumpy Install, Smooth Run
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The latest effort from the KDE developers has been on the FTP mirrors for a little under a week now. How has the newest version of KDE changed for users? Dee-Ann LeBlanc explores KDE 3.0 from download to configuration and finds that while some things have been greatly improved, some things could still use a little work.
Monday, April 8, 2002 10:13:47 AM EST

CrossOver Office: The Killer App for the Linux Desktop?
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WINE emulation is certainly nothing new. But the ability to actually install and run Microsoft Office atop a WINE emulator has never been possible--until now. Dee-Ann LeBlanc takes a thorough look at the latest product from the CodeWeavers team: CrossOver Office 1.0.0, and discovers that you can indeed run MS Office on a Linux desktop.
Monday, April 1, 2002 08:36:17 AM EST

Review: SuSE Linux eMail Server III
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There is something to be said for a slick interface, which the SuSE Linux eMail Server III seems to have in spades. Dee-Ann LeBlanc takes a look at this product in her continuing series of reviews of commercial e-mail servers and finds that beauty, in this case, is a bit more than skin deep.
Thursday, March 28, 2002 09:35:43 AM EST

Volution: Promising Solution, GUI Not Quite There Yet
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There are a myriad of Linux e-mail and messaging servers available right now, and choosing the right one for your organization is not always an easy decision. LinuxPlanet's Dee-Ann LeBlanc wades through the commercial e-mail server products that are out there to see what's what. Her first stop: Caldera's Volution Messaging Server.
Wednesday, March 20, 2002 12:54:53 PM EST

The Powerful, Peerable Squid Caching Proxy: A Flexible Open Source Performer
If conserving bandwidth or increasing the responsiveness of popular web sites are big concerns, consider the Squid caching proxy: a flexible, powerful network object caching package that may be difficult to configure but provides a welcome remedy for network congestion. Jacqueline Emigh takes a look and talks to a pair of ISP's using powerful, peerable Squid.
Monday, March 11, 2002 04:39:15 PM EST

The StartX Files: Between the Sheets Roundup
We end your week with seven pages and 10 spreadsheets worth of number-crunching Linux goodness as Brian Proffitt wraps up the 'Between the Sheets' series and picks a champion. Brian reports it was down to the wire between the GNOME-based gnumeric and OpenOffice's calc.
Friday, March 1, 2002 05:34:37 PM EST

The StartX Files: Between the Sheets with Anyware
If thin clients or remote access are key to your organization's operation, VistaSource's Anyware Spreadsheets may be one to look at thanks to its choice of a traditional desktop application or the Java-based Anyware Office, meant to bring a solid (if underpowered) application to desktops everywhere -- regardless of operating system. Brian Proffitt wraps up the 'Between the Sheets' series and prepares to crown a winner.
Thursday, February 21, 2002 01:35:25 PM EST

The StartX Files: Between the Sheets with Siag
Like programming in Scheme? If so, you may like Siag -- a spreadsheet with so many Scheme affinities the language gets a mention in its name: Scheme in a Grid. Brian Proffitt reports you can use this off-beat offering's C-like expressions to build something as simplistic as a custom function... or an applet as complex as a Web server.
Monday, February 11, 2002 03:35:19 PM EST

.comment: A Winding Path to KDE3
Dennis E. Powell's search for the best in desktop eyecandy led him into a compiling frenzy which resulted in, among other things, a preview of the soon-to-be-released KDE version 3.
Wednesday, February 6, 2002 12:27:47 PM EST

The StartX Files: Between the Sheets with Quattro Pro
The story of Quattro Pro for Linux is a story of the Dark Side of proprietary software. Though it could be described as the "Application That Was Not There," Brian Proffitt takes a serious look at Quattro Pro 9. No longer actively distributed or supported by Corel, Quattro Pro still offers a lot as a spreadsheet application.
Friday, February 1, 2002 11:20:12 AM EST

The StartX Files: Between the Sheets With NExS
If you've ever prepared the Thanksgiving turkey with pliers, and Brian Proffitt has, you'll probably have an affinity for NExS: a C-programmable spreadsheet that provides something more than even self-identified "power users" will want to play with, less than home users will want to contend with, and could possibly be just right for programmers who need a spreadsheet-formatted way to move data around between UNIX applications. A look at GreyTrout's "Network Extensible Spreadsheet."
Friday, January 25, 2002 07:34:45 PM EST

The Start X Files: Between the Sheets with KSpread
In the office suite game, word processors are often ahead of their spreadsheet suite-mates. In the case of KOffice, that isn't so: KSpread holds its own as a partner with KWord. According to Brian Proffitt, though, it still lags behind a few other offerings in the Linux office apps world. A look at the good and bad of KSpread, a well-integrated spreadsheet in search of the right audience.
Friday, January 18, 2002 04:23:44 PM EST

Distribution Watch: A Month Later with Linux-Mandrake 8.1
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Kicking off our new 'Month Later' addition to Distribution Watch, Brian Proffitt returns with a second look at Linux-Mandrake 8.1 and discusses the process of getting settled in and smoothing out the routine bumps and curves of this distribution. Learn why he says Mandrake 8.1 is the best offering he's seen to date for a home audience.
Friday, January 11, 2002 01:38:55 PM EST

The Start X Files: Between the Sheets with HancomSheet
HancomSheet is the spreadsheet component of HancomOffice, a recent arrival to the Linux desktop applications world from Korea. Freed of its former use of WINE and running as a native Qt application, HancomSheet offers plenty of speed, but Brian Proffitt finds himself wondering if the foundations of this spreadsheet make it a worthy contender for Linux users or a mere afterthought in a suite more oriented on its word processor.
Thursday, January 10, 2002 10:46:39 AM EST

The StartX Files: Gnumeric 1.0 Proves Stable and Fast
Is Gnumeric 1.0 just a window-dressing version label? Or has the Jody Goldberg's Gnumeric development team brought us something deserving of the moniker "major release"? Brian Proffitt takes a look at the GNOME-based spreadsheet and reports that it's fast, stable, and more than ready for your desktop.
Monday, January 7, 2002 12:06:06 PM EST

The Year In Review: LinuxPlanet's Picks for the Best and Worst of 2001
2001 has come to a close and LinuxPlanet editorial staffers offer their picks for the best of the past year in distributions, browsers, text editors, small projects (including a very handy portal-builder, and an automated RPM production tool) and more, plus nods to several Dead Horses That Need to Be Shot Once More.
Sunday, December 30, 2001 02:35:58 PM EST

The StartX Files: Building the Perfect Desktop
With the StarOffice 6 beta period coming to an end (and the withdrawal of beta downloads for the upcoming product approaching), Brian Proffitt examines the StarOffice Calc spreadsheet and asks, one last time in 2001, whether the Linux community and the "desktop market" are ever going to see eye to eye.
Wednesday, December 26, 2001 03:04:24 PM EST

.comment: Your Voice
Microsoft might be able to cow the Department of Justice, but the DoJ didn't count on the logic and commitment of Linux users, as Dennis E. Powell discovered when looking at comments submitted by readers in U.S. v. Microsoft who take their freedom seriously.
Wednesday, December 26, 2001 02:27:10 PM EST

The StartX Files: Between the Sheets With Star Calc
Brian Proffitt says Star/Open Office's Calc is every bit Excel's equal in the features and tools it provides without the hand-holding wizards. Despite its numerous strengths, some nagging font rendering problems may make Calc hard to accept as a corporate desktop winner.
Friday, December 14, 2001 01:29:36 AM EST

Distribution Watch: Out of the Box: Mandrake 8.1 Gaming Edition
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With a special edition of the popular game "The Sims" to bulk it up, this special edition of Mandrake 8.1 seems like a sure bet for the gamer on your Christmas list. In this "Out of the Box" Distribution Watch review, Brian Proffitt comments on how well Mandrake has managed the introduction of TransGaming's WineX to a retail product, and whether it passes the "Reader Rabbit" test. Stay tuned, too... our coverage of Linux distributions is deepening with timely "First Look" reviews like this one, followed up by in-depth reports after we've had time to put products through their paces.
Friday, December 7, 2001 03:03:00 PM EST

The StartX Files: Between the Sheets With abs
With a built-in scripting language designed to make it play well with Microsoft's Excel, abs is a UNIX refugee come to roost on the Linux desktop. Brian Proffitt kicks off his series on Linux spreadsheets with a look at a tool that not only provides Excel compatibility, but the ability to produce stand-alone apps with its powerful ABVisual language.
Friday, December 7, 2001 03:32:08 AM EST

The StartX Files: Word to the Wise: Wrapping Up and Picking a Winner
This week Brian Proffitt wraps up our Word to the Wise series by offering a recap of each of the eight word processors he examined and crowning a new king. Last year, Applix Words took 'best overall' honors. This year it has to fend off a field that includes kWord, the StarOffice 6 beta, and OpenOffice. Ever with an eye cocked to the horizon, Brian also reveals his list of spreadsheets for our next application series.
Friday, November 30, 2001 03:28:06 AM EST

The StartX Files: HancomWord Dumps WINE for Qt
As this incarnation of the Word to the Wise series winds down, Brian Proffitt considers HancomWord: a former WINE application making the move to Qt as its toolkit. Is Korea's leading word processor for Windows good enough for Linux?
Thursday, November 15, 2001 12:22:18 AM EST

The StartX Files: Word to the Wise: KWord's Quest for Completion
In this week's look at Linux word processing, Brian Proffitt considers KOffice's KWord, and comes away a little disappointed. Though full of promise and making progress, it lags behind other open source offerings in features, raising the question of just how soon it will be "really ready." Is an all-volunteer effort capable of building the killer office suite?
Tuesday, November 6, 2001 03:07:20 AM EST

The StartX Files: Learning the Ways of LyX
The ever-popular 'Word to the Wise' series is chartered to cover word processors. This week, though, Brian Proffitt stops off with LyX, a 'document processor' that might change the way you look at document preparation. Learn about LyX's unusual paradigm among desktop apps, and how the LyX team is bringing GUI independence to a venerable project with familiar Qt and GTK+ faces.
Tuesday, October 30, 2001 02:45:09 AM EST

The StartX Files: In-Depth With StarOffice Filters
Interoperability is critical to Open/StarOffice's survival in a Microsoft-dominated office software world, and file filters are the feature on which Open/StarOffice's success in that arena will be measured. Brian Proffitt goes in-depth with the developer who heads up the OpenOffice file filtering efforts and learns where the project is still lacking, why Microsoft's own file formats lead to a hidden quagmire of stale data, and why OpenOffice provides a more secure alternative, even when it's exporting to Word's .doc format.
Tuesday, October 23, 2001 12:24:30 AM EST

The StartX Files: Word to the Wise: Writer 638C
The burning question among many office app enthusiasts after last week's StarOffice 6 Beta review was 'so what's the difference between this and OpenOffice?' Brian Proffitt takes a look at just those differences this week, and offers that even if StarOffice seems to hold an edge in polish at the moment, the advantages of open source may close the lead before the FTP servers cool off from launch day. New to Linux office apps? There's also a brief history of StarOffice.
Tuesday, October 16, 2001 04:15:18 AM EST

The StartX Files: Word to the Wise: StarOffice 6 Beta
Yes, the clunky StarDesktop is gone. Yes, even with the desktop missing, it's still a bulky piece of software. Yes, it still has themes. If you think that's what's important about the StarOffice 6 beta, you're missing the boat. In the midst of working on the latest Red Hat Linux Unleashed, Brian Proffitt reports that StarOffice's Writer has managed to nail even more of Microsoft's slippery .doc format cold, right down to the ever-elusive revision and annotation features.
Monday, October 8, 2001 12:24:50 AM EST

The StartX Files: Word to the Wise: gwp
Brian Proffitt continues his exploration of Linux word-processing alternatives with a look at gwp: the "GNOME Word Processor." Does this project, known to many long-time Linux enthusiasts as a Lesstif showcase app from Hungry called "XWord", hold its